It is true that there are “bad apples” in the legal profession, just as there are in other professions, who file meritless claims in hopes of “cost of defense” settlements. Such cases should be vigorously defended.

Any competent plaintiffs' lawyer will attest to the difficulty of persuading 12 strangers to award a large sum of money to his or her client. Such cases are usually taken on a contingency-fee basis, with the attorney advancing costs. Righteous lawsuits are filed when there is demonstrable negligence, intentional misconduct or disregard of public health or safety.

Legal commentators as far back as Alexis de Tocqueville have attested to the fact that jury service imbues a sense of equity and respect for the rule of law. And, it is the threat of lawsuits, rather than fines or regulations by government agencies, that results in safer products, better-designed highways, higher standards of medical care, more accountability in business transactions and a more humane workplace in this country.

Any class action must be certified as having merit by a judge in order to be pursued. Class actions in this state and elsewhere serve the important function of deterring corporations from practices that unfairly increase profit at the expense of consumers and employees.

The Register would better serve its readers by editorials extolling, rather than deprecating, class actions and the jury system.

An Obama Christmas

COSTA MESA, Jim Pond: You gotta love this president. He urges us during the Christmas season to reach out and help the poor and needy [“Obama: help those in need,” News, Dec. 26]. My first thought was, what a novel idea. Kindness and selfless acts of charity have been synonymous with this time of year for, what, nearly two millennia? But thanks for the reminder, Mr. President.

My second thought was prompted by the article's accompanying photograph showing Obama squaring up for a putt on the 18th hole at one of the most exclusive golf courses in Hawaii.

Thank you, editors, for such a juicy juxtaposition. But perhaps I'm being too hard on the man. Maybe he forewent the 19th hole, donned an apron and ladled out beans and barley to some of the island's truly impoverished citizens. Nah. I can only hope he tipped his caddies generously.

Wait, he doesn't walk golf courses. He rides in a cart. Like I said: Gotta love the guy.

ACA sympathy purchase

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Ed Bjork: Columnist William Rice is a true product of Americans for Democratic Action, one of the nation's most liberal organizations [“Young Americans should enroll in ACA,” Opinion, Dec. 23]. He says, “Every young healthy person should get covered who feels sympathy for the millions of uninsured Americans who aren't young and healthy.”

And therein lies the major reason young people won't sign up. They are not so much signing up for themselves as they are supporting those who won't get coverage. All can get coverage under the Affordable Care Act and can get government assistance to pay for it, depending on income.

Rice speaks about the tens of thousands who have had their policies canceled because they had “substandard coverage.” Why would an older couple need pediatric coverage if they have no need for it? Yet the ACA requires such coverage.

Many of those canceled policies were fine for those who had them, but liberals like Rice believe everyone should be forced into full coverage to help the government give generous subsidies to millions.

I believe that's called “redistribution of wealth,” which liberals love.

As policy costs and deductibles rise, many more young people will pay the fines rather than watch the government take even more of their income. Like many of us, they are becoming fed up with taxpayer money being thrown away on foreign aid, arming despot governments and wasted on useless projects at home, like the ACA, by vote-seeking, corrupt politicians.

Nothing trickles down

NEWPORT BEACH, Rob Macfarlane: Those who extol the virtues of hard work and demonstrate their achievements with visible wealth are not the picture of success in and of itself [“Trickle-down economics makes U.S. exceptional,” Letters, Dec. 20]. Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney made millions by buying companies, firing the older workers, selling off the weak-performing entities and shipping the jobs and earnings overseas. Besides Romney, who benefited from those labors?

Those who didn't benefit were the thousands of workers and nonworkers who would have benefited from those saved tax-monies via paychecks. Taxes generated from payroll checks pay for our communities' schools and highways. When the jobs go overseas, the whole community loses. No trickle-down there. Look at Detroit.

Decision has been made

ROSSMOOR, Tracy A. Odell Jr.: Decision time for America? [Opinion, Dec. 26] I thought the last election settled that. Conservatives evil? “Mean-spirited” is a better label. Tea Party? A debate in the court of public opinion would be futile, as the Tea Party represents only themselves. Allow unfettered capitalism to exploit the middle class? Income inequity is already eliminating the middle class. The 99 percent are trying to be the ants; the grasshoppers live on Wall Street.

Finally, the fish analogy fails to mention a very important part of the equation: The pond needs to actually have fish in it.

Skewed accountability

WESTMINSTER, George A. Kuck: The article “Regulators cite nuclear plant” [News, Dec. 26] stated, “Nuclear safety regulators have cited the operator of the shuttered San Onofre power plant for failing to check the design of steam generators that eventually led to the plant's closure.” If the government can hold Edison responsible for the design of the reactors, there is nothing to keep them from holding drivers responsible for automobile design failures that cause accidents.

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